Ayvalik, Flowers, and Windows
A stroll through the narrow streets in Ayvalik will make one aware of the close relation the people have with two things: flowers and cats. Now, I don’t mean to give the impression that you will find lush gardens, meticulously manicured in ever respect. I know of one such garden in Ayvalik, it is the garden of the Melin house on Zafer Street. Instead, you will see hollyhocks reaching 8-feet or more in height on a sliver of soil on the side of the street, perhaps a mere 8 inches; you will go by many houses where windows became mini gardens with some flowers in pots; you will even see flowers painted on old, crumbling walls, as if to make them last longer. In every alley, next to most poles, at the corner of many houses will be some plant trailing to find the best path to reach the sun. Read more
Ayvalik-Lesvos Days
June 21, we learned about a wonderful cultural exchange between Ayvalik and Lesvos (Λέσβος) only one day before we left Ayvalik. Apparently it first started last year at Lesvos, alternating the festivities between there and Ayvalik. The part we saw was a folk dance performance and both the Ayvalik and the Lesvos dancers looked wonderful, young, and eager to share their cultural riches. I waited for a while and as the weather got too hot and the program was delayed due to the late arrival of the dignitaries, I left without actually watching the performance. My sister and brother-in-law spoke very highly of both groups. I thank all the dance team members, the Ayvalik group and the “Dancing Group from Loutra of Lesvos” for allowing me to photograph them.
The event was reasonably crowded, I think it could have been Read more
Deniz Kestanesi, again
Yes, we went there again; it is a very enjoyable place. Tonight was the broadcast of the visit of Mr. Vedat Milor whom we saw about a month ago recording there. All in all, it was a good review but I could not understand why he praised everything served and yet gave the food 3 out of 5. For some items he indicated that he could not eat anything like it in other places in Istanbul (calamari, in case you are wondering). At the end I was expecting at least a 4 out of 5 on the quality of food. That said, I agree with the limited selection of wines. In defense of Deniz Kestanesi, I would like to bring out the patronage issue again. The clientele needs to demand certain things, be willing to pay for it, before expecting them to happen from the get go.
The evening was a very fine one with our friend Reha joining us, Jan, Ergun, Binnaz, and I. The food was more varied today. I highly recommend the eggplant “Pabucaki” and the stuffed zuchini flowers. The octopus salad was very tasty and tender. We enjoyed pretty much everything served. They even went to the trouble of making eggplant pilaf because we mentioned it a few days ago. Now, that’s attention to detail and the client’s needs. See their Web site for more information.
Dinner at Deniz Kestanesi
Yesterday afternoon we stayed home, tended to some computer installation issues, rested. Later in the afternoon we strolled to “Deniz Kestanesi” (Sea Urchin) in town. The hollyhocks on the street where we live are probably 12′ tall; I kid you not! I took a few photographs along the way, including a young boy who was cherishing the thought that he had a puppy.
The restaurant was totally empty except for us. I am amazed at how people of Ayvalik ignore this fine restaurant. Our table was just above the sea, I could almost dangle my legs between the railings to touch the water. Across the way were some islands, including Lesbos. The sunset was great, so was the food. The owners are very careful with attention to detail and the quality of their food without being pretentious. The ambiance is truly Read more
Ayvalik
We are in Ayvalik again, the weather is very nice; a bit on the warm side but perfectly tolerable. The Melin house and its garden continues to please everyone who visits it. Yesterday we had an interesting group of guests. Two ladies who were born in the house where the conservatory now stands, and their friends came to visit. They wondered around the house with great deal of pleasure; for the two who were born and raised here it was even more meaningful I’m sure. I took some group photographs which I am sharing with the ladies; and to show their joy of being together at their birth place, with you all.
The Melin House
My sister and brother-in-law created a landmark restoration in Ayvalik; at least in my humble opinion. The old house was in total shamble and the garden was in disarray. With great deal of attention to detail and care, they not only restored the original house to its glorious original self, but renovated an adjacent house as a large conservatory. Another small utility building has been restored as a guies house. The garden is lush, well-kept, and filled with a wonderful collection of plants. There are fruit trees, flowering trees, foliage plants, and a great collection of flowering species. The most notable plant is the trailing jasmine which creates a pergola above the patio area. The flowers are highly aromatic and the view is very striking when the plant is in full bloom. The central pool has many plants in it along with fish and other decorative flowers. You will certainly notice the jasmine, which will dwarf practically all other showy plants. To compensate for that, I have included a close-up of a calla that is growing in the pool, and a datura blossom.
Ayvalik Market
Markets are a colorful part of life in Turkey. They operate in every city, every town and one can find everything at one of these markets; from clothing to cutlery, from food to fashion are displayed and sold. In Ayvalik, one of the weekly markets is the Thursday Market, which takes place outside the walls of the house we stay there. It covers a rather sizeable part of the neighborhood in addition to the space dedicated to it.
Below are some photographs of wares for sale to people who sell them. The variety is a small sampling of what is available there but should be enough to provide an understanding of the range.
Visit a Friend, Mina and Elif Return, Bay Nihat
We went to visit Altan who lives in his house in the condo complex he designed some years ago, Zeytin Koy. The place is much more lush than the last time I saw it. The trees are fully grown and flowers and other plants really naturalized. Altan offered us coffee and home made molasses muffins, Mina’s favorite. She enjoyed one there, on the way out Altan filled a plastic bag with the rest of them for Elif to take home. Mina was happy. She also enjoyed petting Lilly, Altan’s golden retriever.
That evening we went to Cunda Balik (Fish) Restaurant. It was OK, just that. Mina walked to the store next door with “hala” (auntie Binnaz) and returned with a box of Cheezee which she munched to Elif’s surprise since she does not eat that kind of crackers at home. We returned home and Elif packed for the return to Istanbul the next day. Read more
Splish-Splash, Take a Bath, Dinner at the Sea Urchin
Mina put her bathing suit on, Elif got the garden hose running for Mina to jump in the puddles. She did not want to get wet too much, but Elif teased her by plashing her up to her waist. After that she did not mind getting wet. She took off her bathing suit, dried off and enjoyed the freedom of running around with no clothes on. A little later she took a bath, I helped prevent water from getting on her face.
Later in the afternoon we walked to see Filiz at Ayvalik Music Academy that she ran. Mina found the grand piano fascinating and with permission from Filiz she sat at the bench and bang-bang-bang… She loves music in general, for some reason she has a particular inclination towards classical music. Maybe she will be a musician like Ruthie, Jan’s mother. Read more
Imaginary Games and Dinner at “Ayna” (Mirror)
“Imagination is more important than knowledge”, said Einstein. I saw this in action as I watched Mina play imaginary games. The first one started at home as “Mina’s Hair Salon” where she had her hair dyed (pink), cut, washed, and blow dried all in the living room. She also did the same to her mother’s hair, even mine! It was a joy to watch her running around to “get the paint”, “find the scissors”, “use the blow drier” with strong conviction that made it “life-like”.
Later that evening, we went to “Ayna”, a small restaurant on the island of Cunda (a.k.a. Ali Bey Island). Mina had been acting a story she read back in Utah, Dr. Meow’s Emergency, or something like that. The naughty cat falls from the apple tree while chasing Mr. Bird up the tree. He calls Dr. Meow who scolds him for chasing the bird but sends an ambulance, and so on. Not only did she play this game but captured the imagination of the adults with it. At one point, Ergun actually called Binnaz on her cell phone asking for “Dr. Meow”. Binnaz gave the phone to Mina and the conversation on the phone was Read more
-
All content on this site is owned by A. Cemal Ekin. Copyright © 2009. No part of the content, including images, text, and other files may be used for any purpose without prior written permission from the site owner.
